Wish You All the Best - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Only at this moment did Jiafu have an epiphany: the true mastermind behind Lady Liang’s fate in her previous life was perhaps not the concubine Lady Zhu, who had committed suicide to escape punishment, but very likely the very woman who stood before her now, gazing at her with a smile while radiating such poise and elegance.

The cup of wine in her hand was a brilliant golden hue. When she lifted it and gave it a gentle swirl, it looked as if bits of gold were floating within, identical in appearance to the cup held by the wife of the Duke of Qin beside her.

She did not know what poison Zhang Fengtong had slipped into this cup reserved solely for her. Whatever it was, she knew one thing for certain: she must never drink it.

The wife of the Duke of Qin and the others had all risen along with Zhang Fengtong to offer their toasts, and the female guests at the remaining tables followed suit. Jiafu slowly stood up as well. Watching Zhang Fengtong, she raised her wine cup. The moment Zhang Fengtong began to drink and her gaze shifted away, Jiafu brought her cup to her lips. With a slight flick of her wrist and the cover of her wide sleeve, she poured the entire contents of the cup down the inside of her arm.

Although it was summer and the fabric of her attire was not as heavy as winter clothing, the attire required for such an occasion consisted of at least three layers. As the wine flowed in, it was quickly absorbed by the inner and middle garments. The outer robe was a lush green, and since the liquid seeped down toward her cuffs, Jiafu lowered her arm, concealing it completely. The people beside her noticed nothing.

After taking a drink, Zhang Fengtong glanced at the empty cup in front of Jiafu, smiled, and sat down. Only then did the birthday banquet officially begin.

Jiafu remained calm, whispering idle chatter to the wife of the Duke of Qin beside her. From time to time, female guests would come over to pay their respects to Zhang Fengtong individually. Jiafu noticed that amidst her busy schedule, Zhang Fengtong would frequently steal glances in her direction. Jiafu pretended not to notice.

Gradually, Zhang Fengtong seemed to lose her patience. After dismissing a woman who had come to fawn over her, she signaled to the palace attendant behind her. The attendant understood and came over again, picking up the wine pot. Following the same method as before, she poured wine for the table once more. When it came to Jiafu’s turn, it was the exact same maneuver she had used the first time, all of which Jiafu witnessed clearly.

This woman was truly pushing her too far. One cup was not enough; presumably thinking the potency of the drug was insufficient, she was using the same trick to force Jiafu to drink a second cup.

A simmering rage began to boil in Jiafu’s heart. Seeing Zhang Fengtong stand up to toast her mother again, while those at the table toasted along, she picked up her wine cup but then set it back down, feigning dizziness and steadying her forehead.

The wife of the Duke of Qin beside her noticed something was wrong and quickly asked what was the matter.

Jiafu slowly opened her eyes, looking apologetic. "I suddenly felt a burning sensation in my stomach and a bit of dizziness... I feel quite lightheaded..."

The wife of the Duke of Qin asked with concern, "Are you not used to drinking in your daily life?"

Jiafu acted as if the dizziness were severe; she covered her face with both hands and shook her head. "Very rarely..."

The wife of the Duke of Qin laughed. "That explains it; you must be a little tipsy. I drink often, and I can tell from a single taste that this wine is truly a fine brew—much stronger and more mellow than what I usually have. It seems you cannot handle your liquor."

Jiafu offered an apologetic smile, looked toward Zhang Fengtong, and said, "I fear if I continue to drink, I will lose my decorum on the spot and become a laughingstock, which would be quite improper. Might I substitute tea for wine to join you in wishing the Madam a happy birthday..."

There was a tea pot ready on the table. Jiafu reached for it, turned to ask a maid standing behind her for a new cup, and poured tea into it. However, her hands were weak, and she could not hold the pot steadily, causing it to slip from her grasp.

The wife of the Duke of Qin laughed. "You really are tipsy! Here, let me pour it for you; drink your tea quickly to sober up."

Zhang Fengtong watched Jiafu for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Madame Pei truly does not seem to know how to drink; only one cup down, and you have become like this. It wouldn't do to let you get drunk. Substituting tea for wine is the same. Just eat more food; once you recover, you will surely feel better later." As she spoke, she raised her own wine cup, and just as she was about to drink with the others, a small eunuch entered the birthday hall, proclaiming in a long, drawn-out voice: "His Majesty has sent a birthday plaque and two longevity peaches. Kneel to receive them."

The entire hall, previously filled with laughter and joy, suddenly fell silent upon hearing the palace messenger had arrived. Madame Zhang, who had been fluttering about like a butterfly convincing her guests to enjoy themselves, was overjoyed and hurriedly led the others outside to welcome the gifts.

Zhang Fengtong also set down her wine cup and rose to hurry toward the hall entrance. The female guests in the hall, along with all the maids, matrons, and daughters-in-law standing by, all shuffled out to follow suit.

In an instant, the people at the table were gone, leaving only Jiafu behind.

Jiafu glanced at the cup of wine before her, then stole a glance at the cup in Zhang Fengtong’s place—the one she had just lifted but set down without drinking. Her heart pounded violently. She picked it up, hurried around the table, and switched the cups with a sleight of hand. After steadying her nerves, she hurried out to follow the others, kneeling down with the crowd to offer her respects.

The eunuch sent was Cui Yinsui, who entered with a radiant smile. After proclaiming the decree, several young eunuchs carried in the longevity plaque and the peaches, placing them on the birthday table, which seemed to brighten the entire hall. Only then did Zhang Fengtong and Madame Zhang lead the crowd to rise. Madame Zhang thanked Cui Yinsui for his trouble and invited him to drink, but Cui Yinsui waved his hand, offered a few words of congratulation to Madame Zhang, and left with the young eunuchs.

After Madame Zhang saw the guests off and returned, the guests had resumed their seats. The atmosphere was even more lively than before. It went without saying that Madame Zhang was extremely proud. Zhang Fengtong listened to the compliments from the wives at her table, her eyes filled with smiles, and she raised her wine cup. The wives followed suit one after another.

Jiafu watched Zhang Fengtong drink the wine, picked up her tea, and slowly took a sip herself.

The banquet continued. At this moment, a sound of gongs and drums erupted. Across from the birthday hall, separated by a pool of water, the opera stage began its performance, playing "Five Daughters Celebrating a Birthday."

Jiafu maintained the appearance of someone who could not hold her liquor, but aside from that, there was nothing else out of place.

Zhang Fengtong spoke and laughed with the wives sitting near her, while occasionally casting a glance at Jiafu.

Jiafu knew she must be incredibly confused right now. She pretended to be captivated by the play, watching the stage and whispering to the wife of the Duke of Qin sitting beside her.

"The Crown Prince arrives—"

Just as the opera on stage was reaching its peak, another eunuch entered and announced in a loud voice.

The atmosphere in the birthday hall was completely pushed to its climax for the night.

Madame Zhang was overjoyed and turned her head quickly to look at her daughter. Zhang Fengtong initially appeared unable to believe it, stunned for a moment, before joy bloomed on her face. She hurriedly rose and went to welcome him.

Just as before, everyone in the hall stood up again to follow and welcome him. When Xiao Yintang, dressed in the bright yellow robes of the Crown Prince, appeared at the entrance of the birthday hall, the female guests all bowed or kneeled in greeting. Even the actors on the stage stopped their performance and knelt upon the platform.

Xiao Yintang was all smiles. His gaze swept over the people in the hall and quickly found Jiafu standing behind the wife of the Duke of Qin. His eyes rested on her for a moment before he said, "Rise. I have come merely to wish my mother-in-law a happy birthday; there is no need for such formalities."

Back when they were in Wuding, Madame Zhang already knew that her daughter did not hold the Crown Prince’s favor. Tonight was her birthday, and she had never even imagined the Crown Prince would come personally to wish her well. Fearing to make her daughter feel awkward, she had not even mentioned the thought to her. She never expected the Crown Prince to show such immense respect; how could she not be beaming with joy?

Before Xiao Yintang could finish his pleasantries, she hurriedly stepped forward to offer him a fawning welcome.

Zhang Fengtong’s father and brothers also arrived upon hearing the news. Because the hall was filled with female guests, it was inconvenient for him to stay long. After Xiao Yintang finished offering his well-wishes, he was invited to sit in another hall. Whether intentional or not, his gaze swept over Jiafu one last time before he departed.

First, there was the Emperor’s gift of the longevity plaque and peaches, and then the Crown Prince’s personal visit. After the wives took their seats again, the compliments lavished upon Zhang Fengtong were endless.

At first, Zhang Fengtong was naturally all smiles, but gradually, her complexion seemed to change. Her face flushed red, and she appeared dizzy, leaning to the side and steadying her forehead with her hand.

Seated beside her was the mother of the Duke of Zhu, who saw this and hurriedly reached out to support her.

The wives at the table finally noticed something was wrong and stopped their conversation. The palace attendant also realized the Crown Princess was acting abnormally and hurriedly called for Madame Zhang.

Madame Zhang left the guests and hurried over. Seeing her daughter’s face flushed, her eyes staring fixedly ahead, sitting there motionless as if she were dead drunk, she was shocked. She hurriedly stepped up to support her and whispered, "Fengtong, what is the matter?"

Zhang Fengtong heard nothing. Suddenly, she turned her head, her eyes fixed in the direction of the stage.

On the stage, the play was performing the part where the humble scholar Zou Yinglong succeeds in the imperial examination and makes a passionate declaration to never abandon his wife of meager means. Zhang Fengtong stared intensely for a moment. Her eyes widened, her gaze growing increasingly delirious, until suddenly, she let out a cold, sharp laugh.

Madame Zhang finally realized her daughter was not herself. She hurriedly called for someone to help carry her back to her room, but Zhang Fengtong suddenly pushed her away. Caught off guard, Madame Zhang stumbled back several steps and nearly fell.

"Stop! Everyone stop! You actors, what nonsense are you singing to deceive the world? Where in the world is there such a thing as a devoted husband? It’s all a lie!"

Zhang Fengtong pushed Madame Zhang aside, turned to the actors on stage, and shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice filled with disgust.

The actors had been performing with deep emotion, but suddenly seeing the Crown Princess throwing a tantrum and accusing them, they were all terrified. They stopped in a panic and hurriedly knelt down.

The entire birthday hall went quiet in an instant. Everyone turned to look at Zhang Fengtong, who was acting as if she were in a drunken stupor, feeling unsettled and suspicious.

Madame Zhang was pale with shock, not knowing why her daughter was suddenly so out of character. She hurriedly stepped forward again and whispered in her ear, "Fengtong! What is the matter with you? Wake up!"

Zhang Fengtong’s eyes were bloodshot. She turned to look at Madame Zhang, stared at her for a long time, and then tears suddenly began to flow. She choked out, "Mother, my heart is bitter. Don't you know that?"

Madame Zhang knew her daughter must be so drunk she was out of her mind. She turned and saw countless gazes fixed upon them. Suppressing her shame and anger, she forced a smile and said, "The Crown Princess must have had too much to drink and has lost her manners. I will take her to rest first..." She signaled to the people around her to hold Zhang Fengtong and hurriedly tried to take her out.

Zhang Fengtong struggled violently, screaming incessantly, refusing to let anyone touch her. With a crash, the wide sleeve of her palace gown swept several bowls and dishes off the table, along with the wine pot. Everything fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. She gritted her teeth, staring at the mother of the Duke of Zhu sitting beside her who had been frightened out of her wits. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed the woman by the throat, shaking her head vigorously while laughing wildly: "Lady Cao, you should have died long ago! You think because you crawled into the Crown Prince’s bed a few times, he likes you? How dare you be disrespectful before me! You fool, let me tell you, the one the Crown Prince desires is Pei You’an’s woman! That vixen surnamed Zhen! You pathetic creature, if the Crown Prince strangles you to death, it’s only what you deserve!"

The entire hall was shocked, dumbfounded. When they finally reacted, they all turned to look at Jiafu.

Jiafu’s heart was beating rapidly.

She had switched the wine with Zhang Fengtong because she was truly incensed by her actions. She had only wanted to use her own methods against her and push things along to mete out a slight punishment. Zhang Fengtong would never suspect that she was a person of two lifetimes who knew the secret of the "Mandarin Duck Universe Pot." Even if she thought about it later, she would never imagine that Jiafu had switched the wine; she would only assume the palace attendant had poured the wrong one.

But Jiafu had not anticipated that the medicinal wine would have such a terrifying effect. Once Zhang Fengtong drank it, she had lost all reason. It would have been one thing if she had just let out the secrets regarding the death in the Eastern Palace, but she had actually dragged Jiafu into it as well.

The grand birthday hall was silent, save for Zhang Fengtong’s cold, hacking laughter and the sound of the old wife of the Duke of Qin struggling desperately for air as she was strangled.

Madame Zhang was pale with shock. She and others struggled to pry Zhang Fengtong’s hands away, but unexpectedly, the girl’s strength was abnormally great. It took a massive effort to finally pull her away from the old lady, who was already rolling her eyes. As soon as her throat was released, the old lady collapsed to the floor and passed out. Seeing this, the ladies nearby hurriedly rushed forward, pounding on her chest and rubbing her back. On the other side, Zhang Fengtong had been restrained by the servants, who were forcibly dragging her out of the birthday hall. She struggled violently, and fearing she would babble more nonsense, Madame Zhang covered her mouth tightly with her own hand. Unexpectedly, Zhang Fengtong opened her mouth and bit down hard. Madame Zhang let out a cry of pain and threw her hand aside.

"Mother, my heart is bitter. Why do you treat me like this too—"

Zhang Fengtong’s eyes were bloodshot. She cried and laughed, looking as if she had lost her mind. She reached out and hugged a table leg tightly, refusing to let go, dragging the entire table with her as she was pulled forward. Amidst the sound of the table legs scraping against the floor, plates and dishes fell to the ground, splashing soup everywhere. Shrieks erupted from the wives, and as she struggled, one of her palace shoes flew off. Not even a shred of her former poise remained.

No one was in the mood to drink or eat anymore. The entire hall gathered around—some to advise, others to gossip. Just as the chaos reached its peak, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded at the entrance of the birthday hall. Everyone looked back to see the Crown Prince and Zhang Fengtong’s two brothers sprinting inside. Seeing the scene, their expressions changed drastically. They pushed aside the crowd and stepped forward—one firmly pinching Zhang Fengtong’s mouth shut, while the other forcibly pried her arms apart, quickly ordering men to drag her out.

Xiao Yintang’s face was livid. He glanced at Jiafu standing behind the crowd and said stiffly to the others, "She has had too much to drink; everything she said just now was pure drivel. I apologize for the fright caused to you all." After he finished speaking, he hurried away.

Zhang Fengtong had been taken away, but the chaos remained in the birthday hall. The old lady who had been strangled finally awoke, and her family had also arrived in a panic upon hearing the news. Seeing the situation, they wore expressions of anger. They barely listened to Madame Zhang’s perfunctory apologies before assisting the old lady out.

The birthday banquet was ruined. Madame Zhang stood there drenched in sweat, her face flushing red and then turning pale, struggling to continue making excuses for her daughter’s loss of composure.

The wives slowly recovered from the shock. They knew that the scene tonight had been ugly—truly horrifying—but they pretended as if nothing had happened, following Madame Zhang’s lead to console her, saying that the Crown Princess must have been overexerted lately and had simply had one too many drinks tonight, leading to a momentary loss of composure.

One by one, guests began to offer their farewells. The Zhang family servants sent the guests away, but they had lost their previous spirit; everyone looked suspicious and uneasy, their expressions like those mourning the dead, making one mistake after another.

Jiafu felt a hint of regret, followed by a lingering fear.

If she had not prepared herself in advance, she certainly would have drunk that cup of wine tonight. If she had truly drunk it, it was truly unimaginable what kind of ugly spectacle she might have made of herself.

She could not help but shudder.

Someone tugged at her sleeve from the side. She turned to see Madame Meng give her a signal, leaning over to whisper, "You’an sent word that he is outside waiting to pick us up; we can leave now."

Jiafu turned around and saw Madame Xin glancing at her coldly.

Zhang Fengtong had brought this upon herself by making such a spectacle, but Jiafu’s mood was tinged with a degree of shame. Under the gaze of those behind her, she followed them silently out of the birthday hall and reached the hanging flower gate that separated the inner and outer halls. Seeing Pei You’an standing there, his figure motionless, her heart could not help but feel increasingly unsettled.

With such a massive scene in the birthday hall, he must surely know about it by now.

Zhang Fengtong’s madness, claiming in front of the entire gathering that the Crown Prince coveted her, was undoubtedly an insult to Pei You’an as her husband.

As Jiafu passed by him, she did not dare to look at his expression and lowered her head slightly.

She heard him say toMadame Xin and Madame Meng that he had just returned from the palace and, thinking they were at the Zhang residence for the banquet and having nothing else to do, had come to pick them up.

His tone sounded no different from usual.

Jiafu quietly raised her eyes, just as she collided with his gaze fixed upon her. Not daring to look closely, she hurriedly lowered her head again. The entire trip out was silent. When they reached the entrance and boarded the carriage, Pei You’an also climbed onto his horse. Just as they were about to leave, Zhang Fengtong’s father hurried out from the main gate, shouting, "Master Pei, please stay!"

Pei You’an turned his head to look, then dismounted.

Zhang’s father led Pei You’an near the gatehouse, where no one else was around.

"What else does Old Master Zhang have to say?" Pei You’an asked.

Zhang’s father had always held a high reputation and was advanced in years. Zhang Fengtong was his youngest daughter, so everyone in the imperial court respectfully addressed him as "Old Master Zhang."

Zhang’s father no longer held his usual composure; his face revealed embarrassment. Before he could speak, he bowed deeply to Pei You’an, saying apologetically, "I have come to apologize to Master Pei on behalf of the Crown Princess. She drank too much tonight and lost her mind; her babbling slander against the Crown Prince was one thing, but she also offended Master Pei and your wife. It is truly the result of my past failure to discipline my daughter strictly. Tonight, I shall enter the palace to confess my sins to His Majesty; no death would be sufficient to atone for such a crime! As for Master Pei, I hope you will be magnanimous and not hold this against her. On behalf of my entire family, I am infinitely grateful!" As he spoke, he bowed deeply again.

Pei You’an’s tone was polite, yet extremely cold. He merely said, "The Crown Princess was naturally babbling in her drunken state. If Old Master Zhang intends to confess his sins to His Majesty, you had best go quickly; I fear the palace gates may already be closed if you delay."

He returned a slight bow to Old Master Zhang and turned away.